Friday, March 25, 2016

Cargo gets
transported by various modes - one among
the most popular ways is ‘containers’ – and how would authorities check what is
inside that big metal box ?

X-radiation (X-rays)
is a form of electromagnetic radiation. In many languages, X-radiation is
referred to with terms meaning Röntgen radiation, after Wilhelm Röntgen. The
heart of an X-ray machine is an electrode pair -- a cathode and an anode --
that sits inside a glass vacuum tube. Cargo scanning or non-intrusive
inspection (NII) refers to non-destructive methods of inspecting and
identifying goods in transportation systems. It is often used for scanning of
intermodal freight shipping containers.

Away in UK, at
least 24 of the migrants who made it to Britain hiding in the back of two
lorries have already been given their freedom. All 51 stowaways had claimed
asylum and the remaining 27 men, women and children who were discovered
sneaking into the country were expected to have been let out shortly after they
were held. One of the trucks arrived in
the UK on Wednesday, hours after Home Secretary Theresa May announced toughened
border security following the Brussels suicide bombings in which 31 were killed
and 270 wounded.

Photographs of
stowaways crammed like sardines in the back of one lorry were published in many
British dailies. It was a damning illustration of how Britain has lost control
of its borders – and fuelled fears about the rigour of security checks during
the current terror alert. All 51 migrants are understood to have claimed they
were fleeing war, persecution and humanitarian disaster in Iran, Iraq and
Syria.

A day later, most
had been processed at the Kent Intake Unit, where they were offered food, drink
and medical attention, and underwent security screening. After this was
completed, they were officially classed as asylum seekers – then released from
the centre to specialist accommodation or to live with family with instructions
only to report in intermittently. The whole process took no more than 96 hours.

More curious is the
news that British border guards have been banned from X-raying lorries while
searching for illegal immigrants at French ports in case the radiation harms
the stowaways' health. MailOnline quotes
Lucy Moreton from the Immigration Services Union as stating that her members are only permitted to use the
scanners at ports in France when searching for smuggled or illegal goods. The
revelation comes as it emerged that at least 24 of the migrants who made it to
Britain hiding in the back of two lorries earlier this week have already been
given their freedom.

Mrs Moreton told
The Times: ‘The French will not allow us to use them for looking for illegals.
They only allow us to use scanners to search for contraband, not people.’ Speaking
to the newspaper’s reporters, she added that the machines are 'very, very slow
to operate, taking about an hour per each vehicle'. She also suggested that
increased borders checks in the wake of the Brussels attacks are likely to only
last for two weeks because the ‘stepped up’ level cannot be maintained.

Asked if there was
the political will, she replied: ‘Experience from past would suggest that it
isn't. The increased checks at the border last about two weeks, or that's how
long they lasted after the Paris attacks.’ Meanwhile, an independent report
from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration found plans to
remove foreign criminals and illegal immigrants were cancelled in 40 per cent
of cases.

That truck carrying
stowaways arrived in UK on Wednesday, hours after Home Secretary Theresa May
announced toughened border security following the Brussels suicide bombings in
which 31 were killed and 270 wounded.